Phyllorhiza punctata

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Phyllorhiza punctata

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Scyphozoa
Order:	Rhizostomae
Family:	Mastigiidae
Genus:	Phyllorhiza
Species:	P. punctata

Binomial name

Phyllorhiza punctata

Phyllorhiza punctata is a species of jellyfish, also known as the Australian spotted jellyfish or the White-spotted jellyfish. It is native to the southwestern Pacific, where it feeds primarily on various snail species. P. punctata average 45-50 cm in bell diameter but there had been a maximum reported size of 62 cm. However, in October, 2007, one 72 cm. wide, perhaps the largest ever recorded, was found on Sunset Beach, NC. In July 2007 smaller ones were seen in Bogue Sound much further north along the North Carolina Coast. They have only a mild venom and are not considered a threat to humans. However, their ability to consume plankton and the eggs and larvae of important fish species is cause for concern. Each jellyfish can filter as much as 13,200 gallons of sea water per day. While doing that, it ingests the plankton that native species need.

Since at least 2000[1], Phyllorhiza punctata has been found in large numbers in Gulf of Mexico. While it is not known how it was introduced to the region, it has been theorized that budding polyps may have attached themselves to ships[2], or gotten carried in a ship's ballast tank[3] which was subesquently dumped in the Gulf. As an invasive species, it has become a threat to several species of shrimp. In Gulf waters, the medusae grow to unusually large size, upward of 60cm across. The Australian Spotted Jellyfish has a mild or non noticeable sting which can be cured with vinigar, urine or vodka. Salt water can be used as a last resort.

The species has also been found in the waters off the Hawaiian Islands since at least 1945[4], but have not experienced the same type of massive population explosion found in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The ecological impact of the species in those waters has not been determined. It has been spotted off the Southern California coast, but not confirmed[5].